Anti-Stepbrother

He kept brushing her hair back, rocking her, and saying it was going to be all right. Over and over. All I could do was stand there. Pure horror and hatred filled me at the same time—horror that she was hurting, and hatred that he got to be the one to comfort her.

I started forward. “Let me take her.”

He tightened his arms around her. “I told her how I felt about her. Why do you think she’s crying?” He looked at me like he pitied me. “I missed my chance before. I won’t let her go now.”

“She’s not crying because you professed your love, dumbass. Why is she crying?” I touched her arm. “Summer.”

But she clasped him harder, burrowing her head against his chest.

Kevin gave me that smug smile, brushing a hand over her hair once again. “See? I told you. I’m the one she wants.”

“You’re lying.” I reached for her again, but it was the same result. Her cries grew louder, and she pressed into Kevin, almost shuddering.

“If I am, you’ll find out later.” He jerked his head toward the door. “Go. She’s going to stay with me tonight.”

My hands itched to hit him. I couldn’t. It’d hurt Summer, and that was the last thing I wanted, but I couldn’t keep them from flexing into fists beside me.

His eyes fell to them, and a dry laugh slipped out. “You know what’s funny? I didn’t even want this, not until later. I had it locked down in high school. No guy asked her out because why would they? I was living with her. I could take her away from them any time I wanted.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t a problem, and I thought it’d be the same here. I could fool around. She could have her fun. But she’s always my end game. At least, I had her in the back of my mind.”

Something was way, way off here. Why was he talking like she couldn’t hear him? What had he done to her? “You were stringing her along this entire time.”

“Until you.” His words chilled. “Until she fucking fell in love with you, But not anymore.” He lifted her, cradling her in his lap. Her hands reached for his shirt and twisted there, holding on. “I got her now. I’m not letting her go.”

“There’s a special place in Hell for you.”

Summer continued crying, and I was afraid to upset her more. “Once she stops crying, I’m going to find out the real reason for this.”

None of this made sense to me. Choosing to be with Kevin and dissolving into tears wasn’t something Summer would do. I sat back and pulled my phone out.

“What are you doing?”

Oh yeah. Kevin suddenly seemed all too alarmed.

“I’m calling in her friends.”

Once Avery was on her way, I sat back and waited. There was no way I would leave Summer with Kevin, not in this state.

I’d been wrong to question her before. I did trust her. I just didn’t trust him.

It was an hour later when everything came to light. Avery arrived, along with a few other friends, and they took Summer into the bathroom.

Thirty minutes after that, Avery came out. “She’s not making sense, but I think this is all about her mom.”

“Her what?”

“Her mom.”

“That doesn’t make sense. She never talks about her mom.”

“I think that’s the point. Something happened, and she snapped.” She glanced over her shoulder to where Kevin was sitting, two of our fraternity brothers keeping guard. I wasn’t sure if their purpose was to keep him there or to keep me from pummeling him.

Avery called over to him. “She wasn’t holding on to you. She thought you were her mom.”

“What’d you say to her?” I was across the room in a second. Brushing past the guys, I grabbed Kevin by the shirt and hauled him up.

“Nothing!” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He looked toward the door, like he could bolt for it. “I swear. I just told her I had feelings for her. That’s all…” Then he slumped in my hands. “Oh.”

“Oh?!”

“Oh?” Avery was right there with me. Her hand found her hip. “Oh what, Kevin? What did you say?”

“Nothing.” He jerked up a shoulder, or tried to. I was still holding him. “I did mention her mom, but it wasn’t in a bad way.” He held his hands up, pleading. “Really. I didn’t mean to upset her. I just thought she was having a hard time because she didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“My feelings?” I growled.

“You know, because I told her how I felt. I didn’t know she was crying about her mom. I thought it was about being with me, like she’d made a mistake or something. I was trying to tell her everything would be all right.”

I wanted to do so much more than bodily harm, but I forced my hands to let go. He dropped to his feet, and I stepped back. I was going to rip this guy if I didn’t get out of here. Turning, I said to Avery, “Take care of her.”

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere away from that guy.”

I ended up at my parents’ house, and Colton sat next to me. He handed me a beer, keeping a water for himself. Marcus came in and sat down. I hadn’t called him, but I assumed Avery had. Colton got up and came back with a second beer for his other brother.

Marcus leaned forward. “What do you want us to do to him?”

SUMMER

Caden…

A voice whispered his name in the back of my mind. Bits and pieces came back to me. Caden said he loved me, and I remembered going to see Kevin after that. Then the big fucking hole that I’d covered over since my mom’s passing ripped open last night, and there was no closing it again. I broke down. There was no other way to say it.